The only way to renew your PC is online

For the first time, every Scottish solicitor will have to renew their practising certificate online, the Law Society of Scotland has announced.

The move to an online renewal process for all solicitors comes after a three-year period during which solicitors had the option of renewing their PCs online, with the majority choosing the faster, easier online option.

Deputy Registrar at the Law Society of Scotland, James Ness, said: “So far online PC renewal has been very successful and has already saved time for well over half of our members”

“We’re confident that those who have yet to complete the process online will see the same benefits when they make the transition this year.”

In a year of firsts, 2015 will also see solicitors being able to renew their PC earlier than ever, with the window for renewal opening on 26 August and closing as normal on 31 October.

Law firms as well as organisations employing in-house solicitors have all benefited from the move away from the paper renewal process.

Amanda Wright, Senior Legal Adviser at Standard Life, said: “It was always extremely time consuming for the legal department here when it came to renewing our practising certificates. Trying to co-ordinate over 50 lawyers’ paper renewals was a drawn-out process.

“But the Law Society’s online practising certificate renewal process has made it much more efficient for in-house lawyers and I found the process extremely quick and easy. It also lets me store my renewal certificate electronically as soon as it’s e-mailed to me.”

As well as saving solicitors time, it’s also estimated that the move to online renewal will save over 60,000 sheets of paper each year – the equivalent of 10 trees.